Patents Examined by Alvin A. Hunter
  • Golf club heads
    Patent number: 11406881
    Abstract: Disclosed golf club heads include a body defining an interior cavity, a face, a sole, a crown, and a hosel. Certain embodiments include a weight channel positioned in the sole and defining a path along the sole. Some embodiments include a weight member positioned in the weight channel that is configured to be adjusted to any of a range of selectable positions to adjust mass properties of the golf club head. A fastener may be configured to secure the weight member in any of the selectable positions, while the fastener itself, regardless of where the weight member is positioned along the path, may be secured to the body at a fixed location that is independent of the position of the weight member along the path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher John Harbert, Todd P. Beach
  • Face for golf driver
    Patent number: 11400348
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a face for a golf driver including a head for hitting a ball and, a sweet spot point that is a center position of a roll, which is formed in a round shape from the top to the bottom in the front of a head body constituting the head, and a bulge, which is formed in a round shape to the left and right sides thereof, for hitting the ball, and a sweet spot area, which is a specific portion around the sweet spot point, the face include: a sweet spot plane obtained by flattening the sweet spot area of the face; and toe planes and heel planes maintaining roll and bulge lines, and formed in multiple stages in toe and heel areas on the left and right sides of the sweet spot area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Inventors: Chung Hyeon Lee, Su Hee Lim
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 11400351
    Abstract: A shim or badge is affixed to a golf cub body to produce a cap-back iron, giving the appearance of a hollow-body iron. In this way, the golf club can be manufactured with the performance benefits of a game improvement iron, while providing the appearance of a blade, player's iron, and/or a hollow-body iron. For example, by using a lightweight and rigid shim or badge to close a cavity opening in the golf club body, the golf club head can provide increased stiffness in the topline, while maintaining a low CG. Various shim or badge arrangements and materials can be used, and a filler material and/or damper can be included within the cavity to improve sound and feel, while minimizing loss in COR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Connor Mark Halberg, Adam Robert Warren, John Bernard Krzywiec, Scott Taylor, Bret H. Wahl
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 11364422
    Abstract: Examples of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a top portion of a golf club head includes an alignment aid having a first plurality of strip portions and a second plurality of strip portions bounded by a virtual outline. The first plurality of strip portions have different surface areas. The second plurality of strip portions have different surface areas. The first plurality of strip portions and the second plurality of strip portions touch or border upon the virtual outline. The first plurality of strip portions are spaced apart in a rear-to-front direction of the golf club head and are ordered by decreasing surface area. The second plurality of strip portions are spaced apart in the rear-to-front direction and are ordered by decreasing surface area. Other examples and examples may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Matthew T. Andrews
  • Club head having balanced impact and swing performance characteristics
    Patent number: 11358037
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of the following parameters: a low and back club head center of gravity position, a high moment of inertia, and low aerodynamic drag. Methods of manufacturing the embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of club head center of gravity position, moment of inertia, and aerodynamic drag are also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan M. Stokke, Sina Ghods
  • Balance point alignment for golf shafts and golf clubs
    Patent number: 11358035
    Abstract: A shaft for a golf club includes a first end, a second end, and a demarcation. The first end is adapted to attach to a club head. The second end is adapted to receive a grip distal to the first end. The demarcation is positioned at or adjacent to the balance point of the golf club between the first end and the second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Inventor: Andrew T. Barber
  • Golf club
    Patent number: 11351429
    Abstract: A damper is provided within the cavity of a golf club head and spans substantially the full length of the striking face from heel-to-toe of the golf club head. One or more cutouts and/or other relief is provided in the damper to reduce the surface area of the damper that contacts the rear surface of the striking face. By reducing the surface area that the damper contacts the rear surface of the striking face, the full length damper improves the sound and feel of the golf club head at impact and only minimally reduces performance of the golf club head. For example, the one or more cutouts and/or other relief maintains face flexibility, characteristic time (CT) and coefficient of restitution (COR) of the striking face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Connor Mark Halberg, Adam Robert Warren, John Bernard Krzywiec, Scott Taylor, Bret H. Wahl
  • Multi-material iron-type golf club head
    Patent number: 11351425
    Abstract: A multi-material iron-type golf club head having a shell that defines a closed internal volume, where the head is composed of at least two different materials, incorporates a variable face thickness, and achieves a high characteristic time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey J. Albertsen, Michael Scott Burnett
  • Golf ball with electrical components
    Patent number: 11344785
    Abstract: A golf ball comprising an electrical component is disclosed herein. The electrical component comprises an integrated circuit having a gyroscope, a magnetometer, and a BLUETOOTH low energy (BTLE) radio, and at least one battery. A body is composed of an epoxy material, and the body encompasses the electrical component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Mario Raposo, David Bartels, Petra Petrich, Grady Crahan, Nick Lannes
  • Golf ball with wound core with integrated circuit
    Patent number: 11344784
    Abstract: A golf ball comprising an integrated circuit is disclosed herein. The integrated circuit comprises a gyroscope, a magnetometer, and a BLUETOOTH low energy (BTLE) radio, and at least one battery. A body is composed of an epoxy material, and the body encompasses the integrated circuit. A wound core layer is disposed over the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Andrew Dykhuis, Mario Raposo
  • Golf ball and method of manufacture
    Patent number: 11338178
    Abstract: In a golf ball having a core composed of one or more layer, the outermost layer of the core is formed of a rubber composition containing a base rubber and an ?,?-unsaturated metal carboxylate, an envelope layer directly encasing the core is formed of a resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin having a structure that includes ?,?-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymerization units, and a surface of the core outermost layer and the envelope layer adjoin each other through an intervening oxazoline group-containing substance. The golf ball has improved adhesion between the rubber-based core and the cover layer that directly encases the core and is formed of an ionomer resin or other ?,?-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer-containing resin material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jun Shindo
  • Method for manufacturing a golf club head made of soft iron
    Patent number: 11318525
    Abstract: A method has acts of providing a blank of head, providing a reinforcement element, combining the blank of head and the reinforcement element, and co-forging. The blank of head is made of a material having a hardness ranging from HRB50 to HRB105 measured by Rockwell Hardness Test and being softer than HRB105 and has a recess. The reinforcement element is made of a material having a hardness ranging from HRC15 to HRC55 measured by Rockwell Hardness Test. The reinforcement element is put into the recess in the blank of head, and an inner surface of the recess and the reinforcement element are combined securely with each other completely by a welding process. The blank of head combined with the reinforcement element is put into a mold, is heated to 700° C. to 1100° C., and is applied with a co-forging process to form an eutectic bonding by thermocompression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Inventor: Chi Hung Su
  • Golf club heads
    Patent number: 11318358
    Abstract: Golf club heads are provided for selectively increasing or optimizing the coefficient of restitution (COR) at likely impact locations on the striking face of the golf club heads, while simultaneously maintaining characteristic time (CT) below a threshold value in those likely impact locations. By analyzing historical impact locations of a large cross-section of golfers, golf club head COR values can be increased or optimized in preferential locations on the striking face, such as using weighting factors for a predefined set of locations on the striking face. Therefore, instead of increasing COR uniformly across the face and/or increasing COR at impact locations on the face where golfers are unlikely to strike the golf ball, the sweet spot of the golf club head can be increased at the impact locations where golfers typically strike the golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Story, Matthew Greensmith, Christopher John Harbert, Matthew David Johnson
  • Golf club head with high density body and low density face
    Patent number: 11318357
    Abstract: Embodiments of a golf club head having a body comprising a first material and a strike face comprising a second material, wherein the density of the first material is greater than the density of the second material, and the ratio of the density of the first material to the density of the second material is greater than or equal to approximately 1.7 are described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Cory Bacon, Martin Jertson
  • Support structures for golf club head
    Patent number: 11311783
    Abstract: A golf club head comprising at least one structural support member is disclosed herein. The structural support member has a smooth, organic-looking aesthetic and connects unsupported portions of the golf club head to improve the acoustics of the golf club head upon impact with a golf ball. Where the support member connects to other portions of the golf club head, the surfaces of the member have a curvature that changes smoothly and continuously, lacking any sharp corners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Callaway Golf Company
    Inventors: Brandon D. DeMille, William C. Watson, Dominic LeBlanc
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 11311781
    Abstract: Examples of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a body portion of a golf club head may include a cavity having an opening and an internal structure defined by a wall portion and a base portion. A hosel portion may include an insert portion and a neck portion extending therefrom. The hosel portion may be attached to the body portion by an interference fit between the neck portion and the opening of the cavity. The insert portion may be received inside the cavity and may be spaced apart from the internal structure of the cavity. A space between the insert portion and the internal structure of the cavity may be partially or entirely filled with an adhesive to hold the hosel portion in place. Other examples may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Caleb S. Kroloff, Bradley D. Schweigert, Michael R. Nicolette
  • Electronic device and method of processing exercise information by electronic device
    Patent number: 11311774
    Abstract: An electronic device and a method of processing exercise information by an electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes at least one communication module, a display, at least one sensor, and a processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyeeun Choi, Daesung Cho, Minhwan Jo
  • Iron type golf club head
    Patent number: 11305165
    Abstract: Iron-type golf club heads are disclosed having a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, a front portion, a rear portion, and a striking face. The iron-type golf club heads include a localized stiffened region that is located on the striking face of the club head such that the localized stiffened region alters the launch conditions of golf balls struck by the club head in a way that wholly or partially compensates for, overcomes, or prevents the occurrence of a rightward deviation. In particular, the localized stiffened region is located on the striking face such that a golf ball struck under typical conditions will not impart a right-tending sidespin to the golf ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua J. Dipert, Scott Taylor, Yong Ling
  • Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads
    Patent number: 11298597
    Abstract: Examples of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a top portion of a golf club head may include an alignment aid having a first plurality of strip portions and a second plurality of strip portions. Each strip portion of the first plurality of strip portions and each strip portion of the second plurality of strip portions have a quadrilateral shape with a diagonal side. The diagonal sides of the first plurality of strip portions are aligned with one another to generate a first focal axis and the diagonal sides of the second plurality of strip portions are aligned with one another to generate a second focal axis that meets with the first focal axis at a focal point. Other examples and examples may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: PARSONS XTREME GOLF, LLC
    Inventors: Robert R. Parsons, Matthew T. Andrews
  • Iron-type golf club head with flex structure
    Patent number: 11298596
    Abstract: Embodiments of an iron type golf club head with a flex structure, a face reinforcing structure, and a variable face thickness to increase face element bending while improving club head durability are described herein. The club head comprises a face element for striking a golf ball. The face element is formed integrally with the flex structure. The flex structure comprises a curved profile (e.g. S-shape or sinusoidal) that functions like a spring to support the face element during golf ball impacts. The face reinforcing structure comprises a looped rib that provides support around a center of the face element. The variable face thickness includes thickened and thinned regions to provide further face element bending or support. The combination of the flex structure, the face reinforcing structure, and the variable face thickness provides increased face element bending while improving club head durability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Eric J. Morales, Jeremy S. Pope, Thomas J. Nuttall